Water ski champ balances kids and winning

Friday

Sep 23, 2011 at 12:01 AMSep 23, 2011 at 10:15 PM

The 33-year-old fourth-grade teacher combined high scores in three separate events –– trick skiing, slalom skiing and the jump event –– to repeat as national champion in the 25- to 35-year-old bracket.

Julie Kaiser

Water skiing is a family tradition for Kelly Zoellner of Edinburg, Ill., who won her third national championship in August.

Zoellner brought another title home when she won the Women's 2 National Overall championship in August at the 69th Annual GOODE Water Ski National Championships in Wilmington, Ill.

Her husband, Troy Zoellner, is a national title holder in men's jumping (he finished second in August) while her father, Dean Chappell, also competed and placed in the men's 5-jump event.

The 33-year-old fourth-grade teacher combined high scores in three separate events –– trick skiing, slalom skiing and the jump event –– to repeat as national champion in the 25- to 35-year-old bracket.

Even though Zoellner has been water skiing since she was 5, the competition still brings out her nervous energy.

"It takes a lot of jitters," Zoellner says. "It's a single-person sport. All the pressure is on you. There's only one person out on the water at a time, so all eyes are on you. You really have to focus on technique and not let external factors like water level or wind play into it."

Not many people have heard of the National Water Ski Championships, but they have been equated to the Olympics for the sport of water skiing.

Zoellner grew up water skiing at P.I.T.S. Lake, a manmade lake just outside of Decatur, Ill., designed in 1978 specifically for tournament water skiing. Her family still skis there, and that's where she practices.

"This year, June was terrible because of the rain, but we will ski every single night it is available," she says. "We'll try to get two and three sets in a night."

A set consists of three events. In trick skiing, the athlete moves to one ski.
Zoellner said, to add difficulty, the skier will jump the lake to get some air and do more turns. Flips are another option. The more advanced professional skiers can do up to eight or 10 different flips on the water.

"The professional men are awesome to watch," she says. "I can do one flip. I used to be able to do two, but then I got old." She laughs. She did two flips when she was 18.

For slalom skiing, the competitor zigzags around buoys on the course, all on one ski. The object is to go around as many buoys as you can. Difficulty is added by shortening the rope in increments.

"It's a lot of pendulum action," she says. "When you cross the wakes, you accelerate faster than the boat, which is going around 34 mph. Handling that acceleration will help you get around the buoy without having the rope to do it."

"The only way to gain distance is to gain more speed by crossing the wakes," Zoellner says. "You want to hit the ramp in a good body position to get your lift off the top of the ramp."

Like their grandparents and their mom and dad, the Zoellner kids also ski. Julia, 5, has been learning since she was 3. Jaret, 7, also skis but prefers to swim and fish. The kids add to the fun but also present a challenge as mom defends her championship title.

"It's finding the time to get the practice in," Zoellner says of staying competitive. "I can't just go off and ski like I used to. I get to be a mom. Make sure the kids are sunscreened and life-jacketed, balancing all that. Multi-tasking. When it's time to focus, it's time to focus."

She's not alone in bringing her family along for the tournament experience. Many of Zoellner's childhood waterskiing friends are now parents. Five of them bring RVs and the group settles in, cooks dinner and catches up before competition.

"Now we all have kids, and getting to hang out with my ski family is the best part of competing," Zoellner says.

-- Be Healthy Springfield (Ill.)

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.